SACRAMENTO - More than 2,000 people came from across the state to gather at the Capitol Saturday afternoon to call for a ban on fracking in California.

Protesters heard from speakers who talked about how fracking hurt communities.

"They can't play in the yards. They can't plant flowers in their soil. They can't even touch their soil. It's contaminated," anti-fracking activist Latrice Carter told the crowd.

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a method of energy extraction that fractures rock with pressurized liquid then removes oil and natural gas. The method has been used in California, which contains one of the largest untapped energy regions.

Environmental activists have blamed the process for air pollution and water contamination.

"The oil industry is hoping to see another age of California oil production by tapping into the Monterey Shale," Rally organizer Zack Malitz said.

Fracking advocates credit the process for tipping the scales on the country's trade balance, cutting the need for foreign oil and bringing the United States closer to energy independence. However, protestors said it isn't worth it.

"Go green. Don't frack. Please don't frack. Don't destroy the earth to get what you want. It's the only one we have," Protestor Tracie Rice-Bailey said.

After the speakers wrapped up at the podium, the crowd took to the sidewalks and marched around the Capitol to make their voices heard.

"Gov. Brown has positioned himself as a climate champion, and we want to make it clear that as he decides whether to green light a massive expansion of fracking in California, his legacy is on the line," Malitz said.